When PARKING and MENTALITY come together...

Parking in Bucharest can be looked upon in several ways: a) with a grin because it's so absurd (and seeing really is believing in many cases); b) angrily because it is so damn selfish or c) sadly because it's so absurd and so damn selfish. Let's take the first option to begin with.

The Bucharestean blog sums it up perfectly:

(Photo source) 'Forget Ionesco, when it comes to traffic and parking, Bucharest is your absurd theatre stage. The number of cars in Bucharest has gone way over the parking capacity of the city, with only a couple of underground parking lots and very little parking space for old communist apartment buildings. As if this was not enough, the Bucharest Driver (TM) makes it all worse. If someone wants to go to a restaurant or a particular shop, you can bet he/she will park the car right in front of that establishment’s door. There isn’t any parking space? So what? There is a car already parked? No problem, the Bucharest Driver (TM) will park his/her car in the street. Thinking of the other cars passing down the street? "To hell with'em, they can pass by me, let the City Hall build more parking places!" And if, when he/she returns to the car, he finds an illegal parking bill, hell will come down on earth. Everyone, from the president, to the cleaning lady will be guilty, but not our Bucharest Driver (TM).

But there is more to it. A few multi storey parking lots have been built in the last years, but they have the inconvenience of not being located right in front of the post office or bank our Bucharest Driver needs to go to. In an attempt to settle things down, the City Hall assigned many parking lots to a private company, Dalli, and you will see their staff, dressed in blue, charging a fee (1.50 lei per hour). But, as always in Romania, there is (even) more to it. Parking places not assigned to any company were quickly "taken over" by smart ad hoc antrepreneurs. You will see them near București Nord railway station, on Splaiul Independenței, near University Square or on various streets where parking is possible and the demand is high. They will show you where to park, even tell you how much you can reverse, a bit more, yes, straight on, OK, stop! And then they will expect (actually ask for) money. Illegal? Yes, it is.

Note: contrary to what anyone but a Romanian might think, the car in the picture above did not get there by accident. Nay, it was parked there. I can see a different car in that spot next to every morning and it is gone in the evening.'

Read more on what happens if you don't tip a parking attendant, even in a public parking space, HERE.

(Photo source) Bucharest Life is pretty angry over a very navel-obsessed individual who parked in front of a school on a snowy day, forcing children and parents alike to walk around it, ie. in the road. Jos palaria to the author for not losing his rag. See also HERE for a gob-smacking photo gallery of astonishingly badly-parked cars. Some really beat all reckoning. Oh, and HERE is a video, too...

To me, it is neither amusing nor anger-inducing. I find it sad. Really, really sad. Why? A close friend of mine said something the other day that struck a chord - and with a hammer. "The way people park in Bucharest is absolutely symbolic of the Bucharestean mentality." And I am sorry to say that she is right. 100%.

The arrogance of people, the egotistical thoughtlessness, the lack of concern for others, the absence of empathy much less civic responsibility is visible wherever one goes, not just in the way people talk and relate to each other from the politicians way up there on Mount Olympus right down to the average Ion Popescu on the street, but FLAGRANT in the way people park.

Who cares if they block the pavement and pedestrians have to walk on the road, whether they are elderly or children and in summer, unprotected from blazing sun? Who cares if one can't reverse out of one's own drive because some imbecile has parked right across the exit? Who cares? Who cares? Who cares? Certainly not the drivers of Bucharest, that's for sure. Places to go, people to see - sod everyone else! It is a mentality perfectly illustrated by coach Dumitru (Titi) Dumitriu (the owner of the Miclescu villa), the Dinamo coach, when asked why he didn't take care of the house he had bought: "ASA VREA MUSCHIUL MEU"... so very charming...

(Photo: Sarah In Romania) What's amazing to me is that, in a population so intent on making money these days, no one has seen this as a real earner. If every single illegally parked car were to be towed away and released only on the payment of, say, 500 RON (it should be far more seeing the blatant abuse), just imagine how much money the state would make in a DAY!!! I have NEVER seen a car towed away due to illegal parking. I have NEVER even seen a traffic warden. Don't they exist? And if not, why the hell not? And traffic police meant to stop this happening (and do so very effectively inother countries)? Where are they? Frankly, I have no idea. Perhaps they are in Brasov or Iasi but I have never seen them in Bucharest. Everywhere else, traffic police are nasties. There is no discussion, no arguing, no negotiation. If you're not allowed to park there, you are simply not allowed. End of. In Bucharest, there is NO enforcement of the law, so no one pays the slightest attention to it. Ditto the highway code...

Public transport in Bucharest, in my 12-year experience, is good. Okay, it's crowded at those rush-hour times, needs improving on oh, so many levels, but it's getting better and better. I simply cannot understand people who drive from Pta Romana to Pta Victoriei instead of using their own two feet or a metrou - or even a bus, for goodness sake. People moan and moan incessantly about the traffic problems and yet still take their cars when they could just as easily jump on a tram. Actually, parking space availability really has nothing to do with anything. It's an excuse. This is simply about behaviour. Check out THIS where nesimtirea has no limits - someone parked on the steps of Muzeului de Istorie. My thanks to Mara for sending it to me.

(Photo: Sarah In Romania: Cars parked on the pavement, behind the barrier put there, supposedly, to stop them doing so) The solution is NOT to destroy beautiful old houses to replace them with carparks, nor to build roads and express ways that bring traffic straight through the heart of a capital. Of course it isn't. It is to invest in and increase the public transport system yet further, encourage people to USE it and to TOW AWAY cars illegally and abusively parked, making people PAY for breaking the law - as is the case everywhere else. Mothers with buggies, people in wheelchairs, children and the elderly should NOT have to use the road because the pavements today are for cars rather than them. One should NOT have to soil clothes squeezing between a car bumper and a fence. And one should NOT have to walk about with a pad and pen in one's bag to leave rude messages on car windscreens that read "ASTA ESTE NESIMTIRE CURATA!!!" I understand that one bends back car windscreen wipers on particularly brainlessly parked vehicles to make a point. In my opinion, a brick would get the message across even better... Or perhaps a potato in the odd exhaust pipe? Or sugar in the petrol tank? Actually, there is a myriad of options and, frankly, I'd encourage ALL of them - maybe then, people would think twice. Or think once, even.

Everything seems to be degenerating. The language, the patrimony that has so far miraculously escaped demolition at the hands of either Ceausescu or Oprescu, education, health.... And parking. Indeed, it is sad... Sad because no one thinks of others. No one respects anyone else, for the large majority. It is a massive national disregard for fellow compatriots. It is 'fiecare pentru el' and to hell with everyone else on just about every single level. Civility? What do we care for civility? Our politicians are not civil so why should we be? It is abuse. It is mitocanesc. It is arrogance. And it is seen as 'normal' these days. And THAT is the saddest thing of all....

Comments

[mw]

You know what I think? I think that laws are there to make little people feel bigger and bigger people richer. that's how it is. Another problem is that Romanians are Latin and so naturally chaotic. they can't 'organise' anything as naturally, no one wants to be told what to do. The same in France. Put lines down the middle of the road to keep cars in order and people zigzag and refuse to pay attention to them. It's Latin. It's in the DNA ;)



You give excellent solutions to what should be done, Sarah In Romania, and there's nothing really left to be said: 1) invest in and expand public transport and incite people to use it 2) Enforce the laws in stu by towing cars and making people pay to get them back. And when I saw pay, yes 500ron is too little. Make it 1000. Everyone wins. People will be more careful, park better, pedestrians get their pavements back and the cityhall makes a load of money.



At least, that's what I think.

MW

[sarah in romania]

ps and you're right again - of course not everybody is nesimtit. The 10% are not. But I think (in bucharest anyway) that 90% are.... :( :( Theyhave become so over the years, some slowly but surely, the others were like it in the first place. I am sooooo sorry for the 10% who aren't, having to live with such egotistical, rude people every single day and having to block off simply out of self preservation.

[sarah in romania]

Dear Aurab,

Indeed, the brick and the potato in the exhaust pipe would help vent off at the moment but then what...? You're totally right. And you'd be lugging around a big bag of potatoes all day long, I guess!



Re: civic duty, yes, I think it's taught first at home in those valuable and vital first 7 years and then at school. Someone did actually tell me there are civic classes in schools but I have no idea what is taught, much less what is learned. One copies what one sees, I guess, and if everyone behaves in a certain way (or let's say the majority for sake of argument), then one will do the same. One learns language through copying after all, and everythng else too in the end.



Re: penalties paid for real, true reasons, I was with a friend in Bv once when she was stopped and fined for not wearing a seatbelt. And I was stopped on a motorway for speeding in Neamt. That was rather funny since everyone goes so slowly in Moldova as a general rule so we 4 in the car zooming 10km/h over the limit must have been a bit of a surprise. But they were both perfectly valid reasons to be stopped and hauled across the coals for breaking the law. On neither occassion did I consider it outrageous on unfair. I was just annoyed we got caught which makes me just as bad as everyone else...!!!



But Bucharest is different, and yes, I agree with you once again 'Most of the times were because the representatives of law were just "fishing"'... Indeed.



What's to be done? Well, first, those in positions of applying laws must do so. Law enforcement in terms of obeying laws that are in place for a reason. Civic classes at school properly taught. yes, one needs time for all that but there has been over 20 years since 1989 and nothing has been done in that respect. ALmost the contrary. Rules and laws were rigid pre-89 and laws that didn't even exist for any logical reasons were enforced too, if I'm not wrong. Since those days, it seems the law has simply unravelled and it's time to roll it up once again and make sure it is applied. Not only for the smooth running of a country, but for respect for right and wrong - and lesson in itself.



It shouldn't be anything astounding. It should be normal. the fact that it isn't is the terrible thing... Here in Paris, can you imagine parking in the middle of the pavement. No, coz you never see it. No one does it. In bucharest, everyone does it. The complete opposite. And it's normal... aoleu...



Big hug,

Sarah

[aurab]

It is an extraordinary article; sad, bitter and true.

Driving in Bucharest for the last 35 years I always thought what makes my beloved nation to behave like this? "Nesimtire curata?" maybe but I refuse to think that everybody is "nesimtit". Lack of parking? As they are not "profitable" who will built them? Could be.....although I saw what happened with Unirii parking....After opening people came in hundreds but surprise; at the exit there were incredible lines so after waiting 40 minutes to get out of parking the patience of Romanians collapses and they started finding places outside parking.

What else? lack of civic sense....well that is something more difficult to get...it needs 'generations' and I do not see any movement in this direction.

It should start from 7 year old education, than school. How? with the power of "penalty".

I do not know about you guys but I had had very seldom penalties paid for real, true reasons. Most of the times were because the representatives of law were just "fishing". And it gave me the impression that the power of justice does not exist therefore you do whatever you need to do to escape. Not good for "civic sense"

One more thing....I personally do not think we could 'educate' people in "force'

"A brick .... Or perhaps a potato in the odd exhaust pipe? Or sugar in the petrol tank? “Will serve the purpose for the moment and perhaps my revolted ego...but will not help. I tried some of them and at the end I felt miserable because I am not like that. And it is not me to "educate" others...I can hardly "educate" my daughter.

What to do than? Well I just do not know but It needs time.

[Silvia]

:-)

SO true...